Cartoons by Rod Waller

"In response to overwhelming demand" would be an exaggeration but Ray Bell DID ask me to run some cartoons on TNF so here goes. A bit of background; My inspiration as a teenager in the fifties was the late Terry Trowell, a Perth artist and cartoonist, one of the most creative people I've ever met. Terry was mad on motor racing, was on the organising committee, along with his brother John, for the '57 AGP at Caversham, raced slot cars, was the staff artist for "Modern Motor" magazine in Sydney, contributed cartoons to "The Visor", WA's motor sport mag, ran a kids' show on TV with drawings and self-made puppets, was a prolific creator of comics, writing and illustrating them and also painted many murals [ now sadly all gone] in pubs around Perth. I had some cartoons published in The Visor from the age of seventeen and then worked as an artist in Perth and London advertising agencies before becoming a newspaper cartoonist in Perth. I also contributed cartoons to Racing Car News in Sydney in the sixties. Fifty years on I'm still drawing cartoons but from home now and when I can fit them in between working on a Healey 100, an Alfa 105 GTV, the painfully slow beginnings of an open-wheeler "special" and the demands of a three acre hobby farm. I'll continue to add my humble scratchings to this thread unless there's an overwhelming demand to stop.

Uploaded with ImageShack.usThe following cartoon was part of a "get well" card sent to Stirling after his horrific fall...

Great stuff, Rod, look forward to seeing more. As well as your work in The Visor, I particularly remember a cartoon that accompaniewd a report of the 61 Gold Star round at Caversham, maybe in SCW. Keith Rilstone is hurtling off down the escape road in the Zephyr Special. Doug Green in the Ferrari and Murray Trenbath in the Repco Alta are alongside each other and one is saying to the other, "Keith's sure in a hurry to get back to South Australia". Don't know why it left such a strong impression, maybe because I was 12 at the time.

I used to get " The Visor"mailed across the continent in the 50s and 60s, recall it and its contents fondly, and look forward to seeing more of your ( and Terry Trowell's) work from that era.

In passing: how was it that I saw the Jack Ayres Holden Special around Carlingford(Sydney) when I lived there in the 60s/70s?

Thanks for the positive response everyone. Plenty more where they came from!John; I intend to show some of Terry's work here. You'll enjoy it. I don't think you saw the well known "Byfield-Ayres" Repco-Holden that I owned in the sixties after Jack Ayres and Lionel Beattie. It didn't go east other than for a Surfer's 12-Hour race. This might not be the place to get into it but I'll try to be brief. Cliff Byfield and Jack Ayres planned to produce a series of monocoque road sports cars styled after the space-frame racing sports. They made one complete car, Cliff doing the bodywork and Jack the mechanicals. Stan Starcevich acquired it and raced it in the '61 Caversham "6-Hour". It later went east and it's possible you saw that car [ and might also explain the "sighting" of the Repco in Carlingford as stated by Terry Walker in his "Round the Houses" book.] The monocoque is now back in WA, sans engine. The partnership had started a third car, the tub and body being made, when the sales tax bogey killed the project. Being an artist, Cliff likes breaking new ground rather than mass production so the cars are not identical. The top pic was taken by Alan Yates in '67 when I owned the Repco. The second pic is of the road car. Did you spot the FE Holden back window for a windscreen? Headlights and tail treatment are obvious differences. I think the road car had vertical tail lights in those chopped rear guards. The body is of steel while the racing car's is aluminium

Re Carlingford sighting of a car that looked like.....To explain: I saw the car, mentioned it to others those others including Ray Bell who was editing the Terry Walker book at the time or soon after, and who put the comment in that book.Your explanation tells us some more good stuff.

Great stuff, Rod, look forward to seeing more. As well as your work in The Visor, I particularly remember a cartoon that accompaniewd a report of the 61 Gold Star round at Caversham, maybe in SCW. Keith Rilstone is hurtling off down the escape road in the Zephyr Special. Doug Green in the Ferrari and Murray Trenbath in the Repco Alta are alongside each other and one is saying to the other, "Keith's sure in a hurry to get back to South Australia". Don't know why it left such a strong impression, maybe because I was 12 at the time.

Wow Gordon! There's nothing wrong with your memory! Here's that cartoon, though some of that early drawing makes me squirm.

Uploaded with ImageShack.usThe Zephyr Special is now, of course, a National Treasure, Murray Trenberth still has a copy of the cartoon pinned to his wall and a Perth friend, Bob Weaver, still loses sleep over selling that famous Ferrari for $2,700 in 1968!

Hopefully, Rod won't mind the fact that I am posting another of his works:

I'm sure Rod will explain this poster.

Thanks Barry. Front row, left to right are Bill Taylor [?] from the UK, ERA, which was damaged in the east and didn't make it across to WA, Peter Giddings, Large Tablet, [ who bought the original cartoon at club auction], Peter Briggs, Maybach 111 [ or 1V if you like]. The thin chap in the middle of the crowd with dark glasses and pith helmet is Jim Harwood who used to deal in vintage racing cars and sold several well known ones back to the UK. Northam is the home of a white swan colony, the only ones in WA, I think, hence their appearance top left.

Western Australia was a land of special builders, none more committed than Vin Smith. On this wet occasion he found himself victorious over Don O'Sullivan, an habitual buyer of factory racing cars, often from Frank Williams. Don's car was a "Lowline" 2.5 Cooper Climax and IIRC, this car of Vin's was the "Govin"-- Goliath-powered! Cartoon in "The Visor",1966;

Terry Trowell was mentioned at the beginning of this thread and here is an example of his work for Modern Motor. It was Sept. '57 and appears to feature the Mobilgas Rally.Note [thwarted] ambition on the green car; "Melbourne or Monroe"!

Love that one of Mike Sherrell. Blimey, there's a TC loyalist - he's been TCing for what, fifty years? I can remember him from the early days of the TC Owners club in the 60s (I wasn't a member. but it was a small car club world then.)

Rod, do you still have the marvellous autographed 3d Caversham model. What a trophy.

Love that one of Mike Sherrell. Blimey, there's a TC loyalist - he's been TCing for what, fifty years? I can remember him from the early days of the TC Owners club in the 60s (I wasn't a member. but it was a small car club world then.)

Rod, do you still have the marvellous autographed 3d Caversham model. What a trophy.

Thanks Terry. The first memory I have of Mike is he and TC falling out of the sky, separately, as I gingerly motored past in my first race fifty years ago. Gulp! I wouldn't part with that 3D Caversham map/plaque [ too many irreplaceable autographs] but I made another for the VSCC. I'll post a pic of it later.

Puts me in mind of Harry Rose (I think) who said, after doing the VSCC "Pom" in a 4½ Bentley, "I don't mind being out-dragged from Copse by a modern car but I do object when some cut-and-shut special nips past into Woodcote and spins in front of me after I've made all my braking arrangements."

I don't have a copy Ray. Maybe Thomas can take a pic. The cartoon below refers to debate about the origin of the holes in the rear deck of Thomas's Badger-Chev. It had been suggested that he was the mysterious underground "mole" within the VSCC, a claim that he vehemently denied!

Uploaded with ImageShack.usVSCC of WA stalwart and yachtsman, Ed Farrar, was clobbered twice in one week [ once in my newly restored Healey!] while quite stationary.

I don't have a copy Ray. Maybe Thomas can take a pic. The cartoon below refers to debate about the origin of the holes in the rear deck of Thomas's Badger-Chev. It had been suggested that he was the mysterious underground "mole" within the VSCC, a claim that he vehemently denied!

One of your better pieces of work and has covered about 40000kms all over Aus now Rod and been to every state except NT.

It always amuses me how you manage to capture the character of people, the Caversham one with Charlie in the background cracks me up every time I see it!! And you will have to change your tune about Caversham the road crew fixed that pot hole last year!! By the way, Im still in denial about the source!!

Anyway here is what is emblazoned on the back of the Comic Books Trailer"

One of your better pieces of work and has covered about 40000kms all over Aus now Rod and been to every state except NT.

It always amuses me how you manage to capture the character of people, the Caversham one with Charlie in the background cracks me up every time I see it!! And you will have to change your tune about Caversham the road crew fixed that pot hole last year!! By the way, Im still in denial about the source!!

Anyway here is what is emblazoned on the back of the Comic Books Trailer"

Thomas, one of us ought to point out that the above is just a rough guide which your signwriter copied.And a pretty bold statement if I may say! If readers are mystified, here is a pic of the original BMH--[Badger Motors Holden] which Thomas has recreated and named the Comic Book Racer--for obvious reasons.

Thomas, one of us ought to point out that the above is just a rough guide which your signwriter copied.And a pretty bold statement if I may say! If readers are mystified, here is a pic of the original BMH--[Badger Motors Holden] which Thomas has recreated and named the Comic Book Racer--for obvious reasons.

Yes all true Rod and everyone, I am a little sad that it isnt an original by Rod but a copy transposed by the signwrighter and thus its a long stretch to have the famous Waller mono on the decal.

Maybe I can drop the trailer in the pits in Albany next month and set you up on a tressel!! Now that would be a bold statement, The chatter we get on the two way radio is quite amusing when we are being followed by a truck in transit, sometimes its a little embarasing when we jump on the airways once they have commented. One of Brigittes favorite games is to sit among the crowd and listen to the comments made when the Comic Book goes by, carefull what you say she might be next to you!! One commentator in WA refers to it as the recyle special!!

I have to correct you as I have had to correct myself on the BMH title, I have only recently learned that the company name registered at titles is in fact Badgers Motors Holden (s on badger) which I didnt know, and hasten to point out too that the BMH stands for Badger Marriner Hammond and not Badger Motors Holden as is a common misconception, the entry in the AGP history books is also incorrect as is the program for the AGP which some refer to it as the BM Holden which has never been the case.

As far as the Comic Book Tag goes, well the source is fairly obvious with its "Elegant" looks, however it has a factual base, the car was driven only twice by another driver Stan Clements, it was during the last of these drives that Badger- a bombastic type overheard a commentator refering to the car as the Comic Book, a title used by many but never whilst Aub was within earshot, anyway the story goes that the very next day Badger commanded the tail be cut off the car. The pretense for this was that it caused instability at speed but that couldnt be further from the truth it provides quite some stability even in a cross wind. Anway thankfully that did happen otherwise I wouldnt have got the tail pattern out of the mezzanine floor at the Badgers workshop.

Anyway I will get off the line now Rod and stop hijacking your thread!! Im laughing with you, and keep putting up your magnificent work which we all enjoy and treasure!

Yes all true Rod and everyone, I am a little sad that it isnt an original by Rod but a copy transposed by the signwrighter and thus its a long stretch to have the famous Waller mono on the decal.

Maybe I can drop the trailer in the pits in Albany next month and set you up on a tressel!! Now that would be a bold statement, The chatter we get on the two way radio is quite amusing when we are being followed by a truck in transit, sometimes its a little embarasing when we jump on the airways once they have commented. One of Brigittes favorite games is to sit among the crowd and listen to the comments made when the Comic Book goes by, carefull what you say she might be next to you!! One commentator in WA refers to it as the recyle special!!

I have to correct you as I have had to correct myself on the BMH title, I have only recently learned that the company name registered at titles is in fact Badgers Motors Holden (s on badger) which I didnt know, and hasten to point out too that the BMH stands for Badger Marriner Hammond and not Badger Motors Holden as is a common misconception, the entry in the AGP history books is also incorrect as is the program for the AGP which some refer to it as the BM Holden which has never been the case.

As far as the Comic Book Tag goes, well the source is fairly obvious with its "Elegant" looks, however it has a factual base, the car was driven only twice by another driver Stan Clements, it was during the last of these drives that Badger- a bombastic type overheard a commentator refering to the car as the Comic Book, a title used by many but never whilst Aub was within earshot, anyway the story goes that the very next day Badger commanded the tail be cut off the car. The pretense for this was that it caused instability at speed but that couldnt be further from the truth it provides quite some stability even in a cross wind. Anway thankfully that did happen otherwise I wouldnt have got the tail pattern out of the mezzanine floor at the Badgers workshop.

Anyway I will get off the line now Rod and stop hijacking your thread!! Im laughing with you, and keep putting up your magnificent work which we all enjoy and treasure!

Thanks for the kind wrap Thomas and apologies for getting your noble steed's name muddled--- Just stop badgering me about it!Here are some more "Racing Car News" cartoons from long ago;

1970 Australian Sportscar Championship; I don't know where my info came from for this Racing Car News cartoon but it was none too reliable! Peter Woodward won the title on points from three heats in his Elfin 350 Coventry Climax against some bigger machinery. Neil Allen may have blown the ME5 Elfin Chev in heat three? So far so good? But the cartoon shows WA's Don O'Sullivan in the other "big banger", his Matich SR3 . Unfortunately he doesn't seem to have been a starter! His WA mate, Howie Sangster, did however drive the Lola T70 and won the third and final heat so couldn't have done it much damage. Them's the breaks and anyway, no one complained. But what a sensational machine was that ME5!

Uploaded with ImageShack.us [Above] "The Western Mail" cartoon for a business story. An executive "security blanket".

[Below] Peter Giddings and John Lawson brought their Alfas to Western Australia for a series of events, some social;--